A Social Media War Room is a specially designed space for conducting real-time marketing campaigns on social media during high-profile events or for managing digital crises. In the United States, the first social war rooms emerged during events like the Oscars and the Super Bowl. These spaces typically bring together social media experts from a consulting agency and the brand’s or advertiser’s social media teams. They can be located at the advertiser’s premises, within the agency, or sometimes at the event venue itself, such as a sporting competition or trade show.

The primary objective of a Social Media War Room is to react instantly by creating advertising content or enhancing the brand image in response to unfolding events. When it comes to a televised event, the goal is often to leverage the audience. Sometimes, the term “war room” is also used to refer to the permanent facilities and teams dedicated to managing the social media presence of a major brand. However, in these cases, the use of the term “war room” may seem excessive due to the ongoing nature of the operation, and associating a warlike term with an activity focused on listening to and managing customers and prospects on social media can be problematic.

Therefore, it is more appropriate to use the term “Social Media Room” in these situations. For concrete examples of such setups, see the provided link. For instance, a car manufacturer set up a Social War Room at a motor show. The marketing director of Monoprix describes the organization and operation of her Social War Room in the same way.